Is TV’s The Event really the new Lost?

With the end of 2010 drawing near, many end-of-year polls will be giving their thoughts on what the television highlights of the year were. In the last couple of years, TV shows, and particularly American TV shows, have slowly but surely become larger in scope, production, themes and viewing figures, and the newest contender for the top spot is nothing short of ambitious in following this trend.





The Event, which premiered on NBC on 20th September 2010, is an American political thriller which is already making a name for its makers world-wide. Created by Nick Wauters, The Event was dubbed ‘The New Lost’ before the first episode was even aired, thanks to an intense trailer for the show which NBC leaked via YouTube. Set in the modern day, the show is centred around a conspiracy that extra terrestrials are living and mixing with society in America today. After being held captive by the government for over 60 years, these aliens have just been released into the general public and the show follows the social and political repercussions of this.

After only being on air for a month, The Event was granted 22 full episodes by NBC and already looks set to follow in the gargantuan footsteps of the likes of Lost and 24. However what sets The Event apart from its predecessors is not only it’s scope of possibilities in terms of plot, but also the story’s ability to flick between times frames seamlessly. For example, the first episode starts towards the end of World War II, where an undetermined craft crashes and suspected aliens are able to escape capture. Many of them are captured though and studied by the US Government, giving the writing team plenty of opportunities to pull plots in any direction. Although the early Lost comparisons seem obvious, thanks largely to the frequent jumps in time, Nick Wauters has been quick to assure fans that they won’t be kept in the dark for long when it comes to solving clues throughout the season. On his personal Twitter page, Wauters downplayed the Lost comparisons by stating that "There will be big reveals and big clues in each episode", rather than the slow-reveal method which Lost was often criticised for.





Combine this with tense political relations that the newly inaugurated President Elias Martinez has to overcome, having just found out about the covert facility days after being elected, not to mention death threats to his life, and The Event makes for a fast-moving drama which can no doubt be guaranteed to keep viewers guessing where it might go next. Other hit American shows, like House and Lost, have benefitted from the increase in the number of digital TV channels available, and packages that the likes of Sky.com offer, giving them a huge potential exposure.